Minnie Mouse’s style celebrated in LA

Iconic Disney character Minnie Mouse was the guest of honor at the preview to the one-day exhibition 'Minnie Mouse Rocks the Dots' in downtown Los Angeles to coincide with National Polka Dot Day. Minnie wore a specially designed pink jewel-encrusted dress by American fashion designer and ‘Project Runway’ judge Christian Siriano. The exhibition was designed to display Minnie's influence over fashion throughout the decades since her creation by Walt Disney in the 1920's. Disney's Director of Archives, Becky Cline is one of the foremost experts on Minnie Mouse and her style since her first appearance in 'Steamboat Willie' in 1928. "That was the new era of the flapper,” she explained “and she had a short skirt which was unusual at the time but she had that short skirt and that sassy look with the bloomers, the patched bloomers and the big oversized shoes with the pointy toe and the narrow heel and of course, the little pillar box hat with the flower that she wore in nearly all the cartoons in the early years.” "In the forties, they updated her look to look a little more contemporary and at that time because of the war and everything there was a shortage of fabric and hats and things like that were not as common so when hats were not that common, she started wearing bows and that became a fashion trend and she still wears bows to this day," she added. The exhibition made a focus on Minnie's most famous style - the polka dot. "Polka dot pattern in general is quite bold and exuberant and playful and fun,” explained Siriano “and that's what Minnie is. She's all those things and I think it's stood the test over time because it's just a fun thing to wear and it makes you feel good because that's what you want when you wear clothes." 'Minnie Mouse Rocks the Dots' will be open to the public on Saturday January 23 at The Paper Agency in downtown Los Angeles.